The Republican journal., 1887-08-04
The Loveliest City in Southern Mexico.


WHERE MAMMALIAN BUILT A PALACE, AMI
WHERE HERMAN CORTEZ, AS MARQUIS OF
THE VALLEY, ABANDONED TIE PURSUIT OF
INDIANS AND ENGAGED IN THAT OF AGRI-
| CULTURE. THE GOOD LUCK OF LABORDE,
THE YOUNG FRENCH MINER.
Correspondence of the Journal.
| CUERNAVACA, MEN, July, 1887. This
ancient town. which is now Capital of the
State of Morelos, as it was once that of the
Tlahuica nation, has population of about
1900, and its quaint name, literally translated,
means ''horning cows" 1t was one of the
thirty cities which the Spanish sovereign, Car
los V. gave to CorteZ' and afterwards it formed
part of the estates of the Dukes de Montceonc,
who represented the Cortcz family back for
many generations. Away back in the four
teenth century, when the Tlahuicos Indians
founded the town, they called il Quauhnahuas
signifyins "ncar to the beautiful hills''-a much
| more appropriate name than that bestowed by
the uslrpcrs, who conquered and took possess
sion of the city in the spring of 1921.
| Lying at an elevation of less than five tholls-
| and feet above the sca,-on spur of land jut-
| ting out from the mountains between two
| dizzy height--and being well supplied with
| heat and water. its vegetation is exceptionally
Inxuriant. even for the tropics, and the suburbs
ONE CONTINUOUS GARDEN.
The early writers on Mexico have all celebrated
| in glowing terms not only the beauty and the
| delightful climate of tucrnaVaca, but the
strength of its situation, which-hciny ,lefen,l-
| I'd on one side by tha Steepe>t of hills, and ON
| the other hy a terrible ravinc through which
nl, ,I., NI,I,r
| considered absolutely mprc.nahlc. But those
| @uilcc>s savageS had not rcrkoncd on the
greedy enterprise of the SpaniarlS. who crossed,
| the stupcn'lous barrancas from above, after
| telling huge trees whose branches formed an
! insecure bridge for men and horses. 1t is said
that the primitive causeway proved Il regular
| Al Scrat to the invaders, many of whom per-
lshe'l i'll the passage by tumblin@ into the abyss
| below.
After the sul,jugaton of its original possess
ors, Cucrnavaca attracted TO itself Il host Of
Spanish adventurcrs.-b none of them so
successful as Herman Cortcz. the marquis OF
| the Valley" Here he built Il beautiful country
residence for his young and beautiful second
wife. and for a time devoted himself to ayric-
turai pursuits. with ar,lor cqllalcd only by that
with which he had pursued his nciYhbors, the
Indians, only few years before.
TO find
Ell PALACIo DE CORTEZ,
as it is still called, 90 down the main street
Leading to the eastern part of the town, and
you cannot miss the venerable structure which
the Conqueror erected for his own dwelling.
wherein lie planned the cultivation of his ample
estate, ard later conrved the discovery of the
California Gulf and peninsula.
To CorteZ the Cucrnavaca planters were
directly indebted for the Introduction of MernO
sheep (who>e wool is now one of the staple
products of the State), and aso-it is said
for the first suyar-canc that ever lifted its
| II lnI hand fhp 1,,Irn ni,,,r ,,f
Mexico. These things tranSpircd right here in
this Vale of Cucrnavaca three centuries and IL
half ago; and to-day not only the ancient castle,
with its battlcmcnted roof and wide arched
entrances, attest to Cortcz industry, but all the
surrounding valleys as well with their waving
pillows of succulent cane.
The castle itself, still in good state of pre-
servatlon, is now occupied as a court house,
and of course has undergone some changes
which entered not into the plan of the orig inal
proprietor. The vast structure rises directly
above the eastern barranca. and from its upper
corridOr-where the halls Of justice are now
located-one may gain
MAGNIFICENT VIEW
of town and country. The houses of Cucrna-
vaca are mostly made of stone, all OvergrOWn
with vines, and surrounded by gardens. The
lomcS and spires of several churches point
of lovely cane cottages are hidden beneath an
Underneath whose >lopiny caves
The shadows hardly move
Here also is Il convent for Francscans. and Il
massive old church which CortcZ built, be-
lieving that he had laid the foundations of IL
great city. Everything seemed to favor his
idca-not only the mnrvaled climate and the
beauty of the situation, but the abundance of
water. Ga rare blessing in MeNico), fine trees,
delicious fruits, ineXhallstible mines in the
immediate neighborhood, and its nearnes> to
the National Capital. Despite all these atval-
tagcs, however, it has never been !: place of
especial Importance, except as the resort, dur
ing portion of the year. for a few wealthy
MeXicans and fewer American tourists.
EMPEROR MAMMALIAN
school house and is known as Ell Coeyio de las
Ninas. handsome, though neglected old
garden adjoins it. within which bananas and
palms are tlourishing amid wilderness of
flowers. but all about the premises seems rs
sad and ruinous rs the fortunes of the royal
adycnturer from Miramar. This charming re-
treat cost the short-liyed Emperor an enor-
nous sum- but he occupied it only from Janu-
ary to October, in the year 1866. The view
from the housc-top is supcrl-the snow-clad
peaks of the twin volcanoes, POpocatipctl and
Xiaccihuat being in full view, though twenty
five miles to the eastward.
One of CuernaVacas' greatest attractions is
the "Gardcn of Labordc," which was laid out
by lucky Frcnchman of that name. nearly
century and half ago. In 1741 Laborlc came
to McNico,-thcn very poor and very young,
but by series of fortunate mining specula-
nnrn hn loSt His VAST fnrt,,nn Inf r,y,;uai Il
in Il few years, and at her death gave it all to
the church. Here in Cucrnavara he built Il
"BUENo RETRO
or pleasure garden, OH Il more magnificent
scale than any that had been attempted since
the days of the Aztec and Tczcuocan mon
arclls. This splendid work of nearly Il hum
drcd and fifty years ago is still in tolerable
preservation. and visitors are admitted to all
its beauties, to remain as long as they please,
at the cost of Il reM Or cent>) per capita. Adj
joining the grounds arc church and convent,
also founded by the pious Lahordc which are
now going rapidly to dccav This grim old
pile of buildings runs back from one of the
principal streets of the town TO the brink of
The western ravnc-and wild tales are told of
ghosts in cowIs and hcmpen gir,lIcs prowlinY
about this portion of the barranca.
At the angles of the high and massive walls
bcWerues arise. directly above the dark ravinc
and overlooking its winding course. command
in. Il beautiful prospect of the great sweep of
mountain and plain to the south and west
From the center of the garden, broad stone
ways lead up to these JelieUucS, covered with
hard plaster, painted red and white. and bor-
dcrcd will, stone pillars supportin. vases of
flowers.
r,,r cr,~,rsr III, ,r,,r,, o,, r,,,s ,,rr.v
LUZ '' VIZ ms
with its palms and ferns, its choice eNotics and